Brian Chesky’s new playbook

Is he going for a war ? Or just taking about building a product

This is the best episodes ever. I had this in my watchlist but only coming back to this.
This jjst blew my mind..
A detailed teardown on twitter is coming very soon ❤

Pure genius. Loved watching Brian think on the spot to these trying questions. Very well conducted interview 💥🚀🤙🏻

Fantastic interview...It's a little sad to see Brian's graying hair as I always thought of him as a young startup founder.

I think Brian to should leave AirBnB and start another company. I think he should tinker with business concepts that drive strong emotional connection and put smiles on people's faces. Airbnb is great at driving economic value to hosts and guests but I think Brian is craving to do more. I might have to be outside of AirBnB. Best wishes and good luck Brian!

Hi Lenny , Thank you so much for this interview! So grateful that I can listen to this from South Korea! Amazingly thankful

I'll have to listen to this 10 times

I agree with the new direction and what prompted it. However, the 6-month release and Program management are not desirable for a company trying to reinvent itself. Many big corporations take directions from marketing and become feature companies rather than solving real customer problems. The designer and engineering team will take direction from marketing that have its own wishlist. The less said, the better about the Program management function which is fundamentally interested in status collection rather than being part of a customer problem-solving session.

Great to listen to, but hard to watch.

Brian steals ideas from y Combinator’s batch applications

This was incredible. I mean this had so much knowledge and wisdom being imparted, might have to watch twice to absorb it all.

Good info. However, as many have said, he can’t keep his hands away from his face. So distracting to watch.
I just dimmed the screen and listened

- User-Centric Iteration: Continuously iterate based on user feedback. Prioritize features that directly address customer pain points and enhance their experience.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Leverage data to inform product decisions. A/B testing, user analytics, and qualitative insights should guide your roadmap.
- Cross-Functional Alignment: Foster collaboration between product, marketing, and engineering teams. Align on goals, timelines, and communication strategies.
- Narrative Storytelling: Develop compelling narratives around product features. Explain not just what they do, but why they matter to users.
- Feature Adoption Metrics: Define success metrics for feature adoption. Monitor how quickly users adopt new functionality and adjust strategies accordingly.
- Holistic Roadmaps: Consider the holistic impact of features. Merge separate roadmaps when features intersect, promoting a unified product vision.
- Anticipate Trends: Stay ahead of design trends and technological shifts. Anticipate user needs and adapt your roadmap proactively.
- Empower Hosts and Guests: Airbnb’s success lies in empowering both hosts and guests. Create tools that enhance their experiences and build a thriving community.
- Balancing Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Vision: While quick wins matter, maintain a long-term vision. Balance tactical execution with strategic planning.
- Founder Involvement: Founders should remain hands-on. Dive into details, inspire the team, and lead by example.

One of the greatest CEOs alive - and one of the most charismatic as well.

This guy is so on target. I would like to work for and with him!

Amazing! Just... Amazing!!!

5 mins till the video starts…

Thanks for the great interview Lenny. Brian is my favorite CEO. Compared to other great CEOs, he seems to be willing to be interviewed more than the others. Why do you think that’s the case?

so he basically just made actual product managers.

product managers are no project managers
they are not marketers
they are not designers


they just fixed a broken product org and created actual product managers

Sheesh, Sam comment at end was a bar

Love this conversation!

From the elevation speech to the end, i knew this will be a greet video

amazing

Amazing interview, very inspiring. Thanks for sharing it!

How would you scale when CEO reviews each project at a regular cadence and every decision comes top down?

One of the best podcasts, I have ever listened. Thank you Lenny! Thank you Brian! Bless AirBnb!

Terrific conversation. Brian's actions are an excellent example of a CEO real-time fighting off Day 2. Well done Brian. I also noticed a few Amazon head nods:

1) Bias for action

2) Single-threaded focus

3) One-way vs two-way door fast decision-making

4) Dive deep (Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them)

This is gold, thank you both.

"Every leader should be an expert in what they are leading. There should be no people managers in the company... meaning, you're only responsibility is people [and] not the work, not the domain. " 👏👏👏

This might be the best podcast i ever watched

Asks guess why there is no bureaucracy and goes on to explain the exacty that! Only the controller of it is himself now!

While I cometely agree with his assessment of too many subdivisions, too many people manager leaders and misleading roles - this I am going to control everything is a classic toxic leadership model.

I can imagine the chaos and fire to generate those documentations he is talking about to report status... too many redflags..

lenny - this was i think ur only podcast where u allowed the speaker to get on his soapbox. A bit of feedback - continue to reign in the discussions to ensure folks dont suck all the air out the virtual room

Lenny
Thanks for this

Lenny I'm curious: when the CEO is very hands-on in the product decisions essentially the role of product managers is gone. But is that to say there are no more product people at Airbnb anymore? He mentions there is still a small group of senior experts but where do the delegation occur? How do you keep senior leaders from feeling powerless in terms of product decisions?

And there it is. Here is what I suspect will become a historic recording, similar to the famous Steve Jobs interviews of the past. He has identified much of what I've felt is wrong with tech for so long. Specially in regards to how they've become so driven by internal politics. This was much needed. Makes me optimistic about the future. Thanks, Lenny.

Brian is one of my heroes, with his relentless chase for what he calls a "seven star experience" for his customers.

From Paul Graham, to Brian, to us, to forward generations: "All you have to do is get 100 people to like you."

Thank you so much Lenny. This was a delight. 💫

Amazing podcast! Love it!
It is interesting how right after Brian told about too many unnecessary A/B tests you get an ad about experimentation tool 😄

Brian 🫡

Thanks for a great work Lenny 👍I'm not driving without your podcast on anymore.

Here's a ChatGPT summary:

- Many founders apologize for how they want to run their company, leading to a lack of clarity and direction.
- Clarity and unified direction are essential for a successful company.
- Brian Chesky got involved in every detail of Airbnb and emphasized that leaders should be in the details.
- Micromanagement is different from being detail-oriented; it's about knowing the details to ensure good performance.
- Brian Chesky is the CEO and co-founder of Airbnb, which has grown into an $80 billion business.
- He advocates for a new approach to running Airbnb, focusing on product quality and organic growth rather than traditional paid growth channels.
- Airbnb has a single company roadmap, and Chesky is closely involved in every design and feature.
- Chesky also discusses personal balance, avoiding burnout, and continuous learning to stay ahead of business growth.
- Sidebar is a service for creating a personal board of directors for career advice and support.
- JIRA Product Discovery is a tool for product teams to prioritize and roadmap effectively.
- Chesky believes CEOs of product or tech companies should act as the chief product officer.
- He transformed Airbnb's work culture to be more functional, less bureaucratic, and more aligned.
- Airbnb's product management has evolved, combining product development with marketing and offloading program management to specialized managers.
- The company has shifted away from heavy reliance on performance marketing, focusing on building the best product and educating customers about it.
- Airbnb operates with a rolling two-year product strategy roadmap and releases products biannually.
- Chesky emphasizes the importance of leaders being in the details and having a hands-on approach.

- Main message: Clarity, detail-oriented leadership, and a unified direction are crucial for a company's success, and CEOs should be deeply involved in product management and development.

He’s a great speaker, he should speak more often .

why does he keep touching his nose? is he doing coke?

Deep

why is he touching his face or nose so frequently?

is his nose ok?